St. John’s Prep shifts headmasters next year

Friday

Mar 26, 2010 at 12:01 AMMar 26, 2010 at 11:07 PM

Albert J. Shannon, Ph.D. will step down as headmaster of St. John’s Prep in May 2011, to be succeeded by Edward P. Hardiman, Ph.D., who has served as principal at the Danvers school since 2003, according to an announcement by Thomas P. Riley, chairman of the school’s Board of Trustees.

Staff reports

Albert J. Shannon, Ph.D. will step down as headmaster of St. John’s Prep in May 2011, to be succeeded by Edward P. Hardiman, Ph.D., who has served as principal at the Danvers school since 2003, according to an announcement by Thomas P. Riley, chairman of the school’s Board of Trustees.

Dr. Hardiman will assume his new position in June 2011, and Dr. Shannon will become headmaster emeritus.

The first layman to lead St. John’s, Dr. Shannon was appointed in 2001 as the 15th headmaster of the Xaverian Brothers sponsored secondary school for young men. He succeeded the late Brother William Drinan, CFX.

During his tenure, Dr. Shannon put a renewed emphasis on the school’s fundraising initiatives and spearheaded significant changes to the 103 year-old campus, including the opening in 2003 of the A. E. Studzinski Library; extensive improvements to the school’s academic facilities with the renovation of Xavier Hall and Brother Benjamin Hall; the integration of state-of-the-art educational technology throughout the campus and curriculum; and the expansion of the school’s playing fields with the installation of the Brother Linus, CFX Athletic Commons in 2009.

Dr. Shannon and his wife, Mj, embraced their unique roles within the school community and opened their home for many alumni, students, faculty and staff gatherings.

A significant hallmark of Shannon’s leadership as headmaster is the partnership he forged with Dr. Hardiman. The two worked closely together on a wide range of initiatives to increase diversity among students at the Prep; reduce class size; enrich the curriculum; broaden Campus Ministry programs; foster collaboration among academic departments; and expand opportunities for faculty development.

“Skip and Ed have worked as partners for the past seven years, leading the Prep to further strengthen an already outstanding and highly regarded educational experience,” said Riley, who is a 1975 graduate of St. John’s. “Grounded in the Xaverian tradition, Ed has managed the day-to-day life of the school with the same tenacity that Skip applied to building the campus. Theirs has truly been a rare partnership with success on many levels. And fortunately for all of us, it is a partnership that will continue.”

The Board of Trustees will work closely with Dr. Shannon and Dr. Hardiman on the transition and to initiate the search for a new principal.

Dr. Shannon was president of St. Joseph’s College in Rensselaer, Ind., before coming to St. John’s. He began his career as a secondary school teacher and went on to teach and serve as an administrator at St. Mary’s College in Notre Dame, Ind., Rider University in Lawrenceville, N.J., and St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, Pa. Dr. Shannon holds a BA in English and classics from Marquette University, a master’s in education from Boston University and a Ph.D. in secondary school curriculum and administration from Marquette University.

Dr. Hardiman served as assistant principal for academics at his alma mater, Xaverian Brothers High School in Westwood, Mass., before being named principal at St. John’s. At Xaverian, he also served as dean of students, director of campus ministry and teacher. Earlier in his career, he worked as a lay missionary in Duran, Ecuador, as a member of the Jesuit Volunteer Corps. Fluent in Spanish, he earned a BA in politics at Fairfield University. He holds an MA in pastoral ministry and a Ph.D. in educational administration from Boston College. In 2007, he received an honorary doctorate from Fairfield University.